Copper Mugs Won’t Give You Food Poisoning

Recently, there have been some fairly bizarre reports that a copper mug could give those who drink from it food poisoning. Well, it seems like people should not be afraid of their mugs or throw them away after all. Those reports are not as serious as they sound. If you like to drink the popular cocktail called Moscow Mule from a copper mug, chances are you will not end up in a hospital with food poisoning. Those recent reports have frightened a lot of people, especially because they underline the fact that any alcoholic beverage will cause this unwanted effect on those who drink from such a mug.

A copper mug will not give you food poisoning

There have been many discussions concerning those copper mugs over the last weeks. This craze actually began when the Alcoholic Beverages Division from the state of Iowa released a warning. That warning told people to be careful and to not drink any beverage with a pH under 6.0 from a copper mug. This warning also concerned foods which may come into contact with copper. Some of those ingredients that have an under 6.0 pH are vinegar, wine, fruit juice, and the ingredients from the cocktail Moscow Mule (vodka, ginger beer, lime juice).

This cocktail indeed has a pH of under 6.0. It’s also true that if someone drinks such a beverage from a copper recipient they might end up in a hospital. However, every person owning a copper mug should look inside for some kind of lining. It’s worth noting that most manufacturers are aware of this and the majority of the mugs have this protective lining. However, according to the Department of Inspections and Appeals from Iowa, the idea they wanted to underline with that warning was a bit different.

You won’t die, but you should be careful

According to a spokesman, that warning they issued didn’t have the aim to scare people. Also, it didn’t forbid them to drink Moscow Mule from a copper recipient. Instead, the main idea was to make restaurants and bars pay more attention to this seemingly little detail. On the other hand, swallowing copper can lead to serious problems. For example, vomiting and diarrhea which can trigger severe dehydration and even death. Still, people should not be scared. Most modern mugs are completely safe to drink out of.